Feature by Deanna Larson

A long overdue anti-perfectionist trend is overtaking the fitness world. Being overweight isn't always unhealthy. You can think yourself thin—and you don't need to spend hours in the gym. Feel like crying with relief over your stack of New Year's resolutions? Read on.Count calories, sure, but keep weight off with different thinking. Dr. Judith S. Beck uses the power of the...

Beware of baklava

Greeks are known for their delicious food and the gusto to enjoy it. But eating your mother's Greek cooking can leave more than a few extra pounds around your midsection, as Dr. Nick Yphantides discovered the hard way. He presents his story, and his Seven Pillars of Weight Loss and Man-agement, in My Big Fat Greek Diet. After Yphantides battled cancer, he decided to drop the excess weight (257...

Good health

If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with colon cancer, you'll want to read Dr. Mark Pochapin's new book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Colorectal Cancer. Pochapin is a colon cancer specialist who treated Jay Monahan, the husband of "Today" show anchor Katie Couric. After her husband's death from the disease, Couric became a passionate advocate for colon cancer...

Good health

In the area of men's health, one of the most talked-about topics is prostate cancer. Men want to know how to prevent prostate disease and what treatment to opt for if they get it. An interesting approach is outlined in The Prostate Health Program: A Guide to Preventing and Controlling Prostate Cancer. Dr. Daniel W. Nixon and Dr. Max Gomez put the emphasis on diet and nutrition, citing research...

A new you for the New Year

Guides for shaping up after the holidays For millions of Americans, the increasing obesity rate isn't just a news story it's a personal matter. And after rounds of turkey, pie and cookies consumed during holiday celebrations, many people put losing weight at the top of their New Year's resolutions. To help out, we've gathered four of the biggest diet books of the year. With expert advice from...

Use the new year to launch a new fitness routine

The New Year is here it's time for a fresh start! How about a fitter, happier you in 2004? Several new fitness books, each brimming with the latest nutrition and exercise research, offer positive, powerful tools for achieving glowing good health. Fitness consultant Dr. Gabe Mirkin pampers the body's hardest working muscle in The Healthy Heart Miracle (HarperResource, $22.95, 288 pages, ISBN...

Use the new year to launch a new fitness routine

The New Year is here it's time for a fresh start! How about a fitter, happier you in 2004? Several new fitness books, each brimming with the latest nutrition and exercise research, offer positive, powerful tools for achieving glowing good health. Fitness consultant Dr. Gabe Mirkin pampers the body's hardest working muscle in The Healthy Heart Miracle. This handbook holds a dramatic newsflash:...

down and tighten up If the arrival of swimsuit season has strengthened your motivation to get in shape, the latest fitness books offer valuable advice on exercising and eating sensibly this summer and every season of the year. With a foreword by the renowned Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder of the aerobics movement, Active Living Every Day: 20 Weeks to Lifelong Vitality is not just another exercise...

rim down and tighten up If the arrival of swimsuit season has strengthened your motivation to get in shape, the latest fitness books offer valuable advice on exercising and eating sensibly this summer and every season of the year. With a foreword by the renowned Dr. Kenneth Cooper, founder of the aerobics movement, Active Living Every Day: 20 Weeks to Lifelong Vitality is not just another...

Do you believe that aging must be endured with clenched teeth? Then Reader's Digest's Get Fit, Feel Fantastic! was written for you. Today, so many health and fitness books are written with the younger generation in mind, but authors Perring and Hooper offer information geared toward those 40 years of age and older. This comprehensive volume can be read from cover to cover, but it can also be...